LFW do to ‘headmistress’ Masaba: Tittle tattle from Mumbai’s party circuit

The good old days (and nights) and the anticipation of action of many more such days (and nights) was palpable as Lakmé Fashion Week celebrated the start of its 20th anniversary with a snazzy soiree at Soho House. It was nice to see the old guard and the current crop in animated conversation.

Ananya Pandey

Former Lakme boss Anil Chopra who started the fashion week was seen in rapt conversation with Ashwath Swaminathan, Head of Innovations -- Lakme, while former senior VP of IMG Ravi Krishnan was busy chatting with Jaspreet Chandok, VP and Head of Fashion -- IMG Reliance.

Nostalgia was in the air as you sighted famed fashion designer Nachiket Barve, who made his debut as a Gen Next designers at LFW years ago, with wife Surabhi who proudly showed off a hand-painted silk blouson dress from that Gen Next collection. Former models Sheetal Mallar, Aditi Govitrikar and Kiran Rao were seen with Candice Pinto, Diva Dhawan and Anjali Lama.

Of course, there were designers galore who swore by the popularity and success of Lakme Fashion Week down the years -- from Taj Mahal Palace to NCPA, Grand Hyatt and now St. Regis and Jio Garden.

At Soho House it was time to go back in time and fast forward to fabulous fashion ahead at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019 coming up at St. Regis from August 21 to 25. And looking lovely indeed was new face of Lakme, Ananya Pandey, all of 20 years old.

Masaba took control

Model Hasleen Kaur was wondering who were all those young ones at Su Casa as sports company Puma collaborated with delightful designer Masaba Gupta to launch a brand new rendition of the iconic Cali sneaker. Yes, all around were youngsters who looked like they had not yet graduated from college, wearing what looked like fancy-dress costumes, though many sporting Puma shoes, obviously gifted by the brand.

Masaba Gupta

They were all agog as though it was their prom night as they soaked in the sight of the limited-edition sneaker pack hand-painted by Masaba, bringing alive a crossover between art and fashion. Designed on the premise that ‘Cali is not a sneaker, it’s a state of mind,’ you saw Masaba’s signature style with two design concepts – Anti-anxiety and Identify.

Kainaat Arora

The bar was open from as early as 5 p.m. but, to give them credit, the ‘influencers’ did not get ‘under the influence.’ And as for Masaba, with all those youngsters around, she appeared like a headmistress!

Namrata Barua Shroff

Shobhita made heads turn

Vertical and horizontal were the geometric glances in that order. Yes, most people who perhaps stepped into Gallery Maskara Space on 3rd Pasta Lane in Colaba for the very first time were awed by the super-high roofed ceiling of the place. While they looked up they also lowered their gaze as fashion brand Satya Paul presented an exhibit titled Folklure, featuring the Autumn Winter 19 collection.

Dhulipala and Deepika Gehani

Guest of honour was attractive actor Sobhita Dhulipala who made heads turn before she was engaged in conversation with fashion connoisseur Bandana Tewari on the topic: Contemporary interpretation of Indian craft in Fashion. The happy host was Deepika Gehani, VP, Marketing, PR and Design, Reliance Brands Ltd. Guests admired the collection that draws inspiration from Indian traditional art forms like Madhubani and Kalamkari.

Rakul Preet Singh

For the first time, Satya Paul launched a limited-edition hand-painted range inspired by the bold colours and graphic strokes of these three unique folk styles. And what was Sobhita Dhulipala wearing. It was a Manthan sari from Satya Paul, of course.

Schauna Chauhan

Love don’t cost a thing, croons Lizaa

You could call this a two-in-one treat or a double whammy of sorts. We’re talking about the launch of Pepper & Pint (such a nice English pub-like name), a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar at Horizon in Juhu. The dual celebration included not just eating and drinking and admiring the classy decor of the place, but also catching all the action of the live music.

Lizaa Malik and Vindu Singh

Besides smiling host Leena Jain, traipsing all over the place was young and attractive Lizaa Malik looking lovely in a canary yellow ensemble. She was there to spread cheer all around and release her music single titled Love Don’t Cost A Thing.

Tanisha Mukerji

While the catchy music got to you, the bites tickled your palate for, as the name of the place suggested, the appetizers comprised plenty of peppers including black, green, red, white, yellow and several shapes like long peppers and java peppers, with the culinary delights crafted by chef Rakesh Talwar.

Isha Koppikar

Of course, the bar was buzzing with the choicest selection of wines, beers and spirits plus cool cocktails, all enjoyed in a comfy setting of wood, patterned tiles, linen curtains, cane planters, vintage botanical prints of peppers and other vegetation and shelves filled with books and accessories.